Fire In Residence Hall Raises Awareness
Sarah Richards
Issue date: 2/1/07 Section: News
|
"Early in the morning on Thursday, January 18, there was a small fire in a residence hall room in Burrstone House. This fire was caused by a candle left burning by the residents when they left the room, which ignited other items, resulting in a potentially noxious combination of smoke and fumes," the e-mail read.
According to director of Campus Safety Jim Saponaro, the fire was discovered by a student between 1 and 2 a.m.
"A student alerted us when he heard the alarm in the room," Saponaro said. "Campus Safety then keyed into the room, grabbed the fire extinguisher and extinguished the fire."
"The Campus Safety officer responded very well," Emily Balcom, director of Residence Life, said of the responding officer Jim Fellows. "He actually went above and beyond in putting out the fire."
One of the two residents of the room, Kelly Regan, a sophomore at UC, said she was in shock when she got a call about her room being on fire.
"I didn't realize it was so serious until I got out of the car and saw all of the fire trucks and people outside the building," Regan said.
According to Saponaro, the fire did not cause any structural damage. The only objects that were damaged by the fire were the residents' belongings, he added.
"Our television had a melted hole in the top where the candle was sitting," Regan said. "My picture frame was melted too. There was fire extinguisher dust everywhere."
Balcom added that there was some repainting done on the walls in the room because of the smoke and charring.
"I've been at UC for six years, and I can't recall a fire of that magnitude on campus in that time," Saponaro said.
Balcom, who has been here since 2004, said that this was her first encounter with a fire in the residence halls.
"A call about a fire in the residence halls is the scariest call the Director of Residence Life can get," Balcom said. "A fire is the most serious incident that can occur in the residence halls."
Balcom said that she really hopes that residents will learn a lesson from this incident.
"It was a small candle, but it could have impacted a large number of people," Balcom said. "I hope that residents in the future will consider others around them before taking action."
"The use of candles and incense is strictly prohibited for safety reasons, and other hazards, such as overloading or using an extension cord instead of a surge protector with a circuit breaker, running electrical cords under carpeting, hanging tapestries or posters near light sources, and hanging anything from your ceiling or door entrances are also prohibited," the e-mail read.
Be the first to comment on this story